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Roach surprises himself, makes Padres as reliever

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Roach's scoreless relief outing 1:03

3/11/13: Donn Roach works two innings of hitless relief against the Oakland A's, giving up only one walk

By Corey Brock
/
MLB.com |

SAN DIEGO -- Before going to Spring Training last month, right-hander Donn Roach sized up the Padres' roster in terms of pitching and came to a conclusion about what his chances were of making the 25-man roster for Opening Day.

"I thought I was going to Triple-A," Roach said.

Roach, 24, has never been so happy to be wrong, as manager Bud Black pulled him into his office on Friday to inform him he made the roster as a reliever.

"This was unexpected," Roach said, smiling. "… In the best way possible."

Roach, who has a plus-sinker and gets a lot of ground balls when he's going well, impressed the staff in Spring Training, posting a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings. Roach can be used in middle and long relief.

Last spring -- his first with the team after being acquired from the Angels in 2012 -- Roach had a 1.93 ERA, but he appeared in only five games before being sent to Minor League camp. This spring, he avoided being cut.

"I came in with a different attitude this spring and working as hard as I can. Last year, there was a lot of hype around me coming off the [2012] trade, and I let it get to me," he said.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.